A young north west Queensland rodeo competitor will take her talents to the international stage after earning selection to represent Australia in youth rodeo competition in the United States.
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Twelve-year-old Lareece Daley-Kennedy, from Boulia, has been invited to compete in the Youth Rodeo Australia mini bull riding event at the America Rodeo in Texas at the end of September.
For Lareece, the opportunity is the latest milestone in a rodeo journey that began four years ago when she climbed aboard her first poddy at the Dajarra Rodeo.
Her father Nathan Kennedy said rodeo had always been part of the family's life.
"She was born in Mount Isa and raised in Boulia," he said.
"I travelled the rodeo scene for a few years when I was younger and had a few rides. When she was younger, I got back into it a bit and she said she wanted to follow what I did."
Lareece said following in her father's footsteps was one of the reasons she first got involved in rough stock events.
"I just wanted to follow in his footsteps and see what it felt like," she said.
She had her first competitive ride at just nine years old and quickly developed a passion for the sport.
"Ever since then she has fallen in love with it," Mr Kennedy said.
The young rider regularly competes across the North West rodeo circuit, travelling to events at Mount Isa, Yelvertoft, Dajarra, Boulia, Quamby and many towns in between.
While she started out on poddies, Lareece has steadily progressed through the ranks. She began riding mini bulls two years ago and competed in the Indigenous Rodeo mini bull riding event at the Mount Isa Rodeo last year.
This year she has added steer riding to her growing list of disciplines.
"I bought her five steers a few months ago to train on, so we'll be getting on them and back into focus," Mr Kennedy said.
Despite the intensity of the sport, Mr Kennedy said preparation remains relatively simple.
"She does a lot of stretching on the day and jumps on a barrel, just normal practice stuff," he said.
When the chute gate opens, Lareece said her focus is entirely on the animal beneath her.
"Think about what you're doing and look at his head and follow him," she said.
"Sometimes I get worried, sometimes I don't, but mostly excited."
Watching his daughter compete does not faze Mr Kennedy as much as some might expect.
"I don't really worry," he said.
"My biggest worry was a few weekends ago at Yelvertoft when I accidentally signed her up for the junior bull ride, but the boys all looked after her and picked her out a decent little one that didn't go too hard on her and she went really well."
Lareece has already collected several placings during her young career, including a second-place finish at Dajarra Rodeo and numerous third-place results.
Mr Kennedy said the level of competition in the region continued to rise.
"The competition out here is getting a little more competitive with more riders," he said.
"At Isa Rodeo there were 32 riders and she managed to get fourth. That's pretty good."
Part of what keeps Lareece motivated is the opportunity to encourage other young girls to get involved in rough stock events.
"I just wanted to show all the girls that they can do it, and not just the boys," she said.
Now, Lareece is preparing for the biggest challenge of her career, with all approvals secured for her trip to America.
"Everything has been approved and now we're just trying to raise money and get local businesses helping us out to get her there," Mr Kennedy said.
Lareece said learning she had been selected to compete in the United States was both exciting and daunting.
"It was pretty exciting and I was nervous because I hate flying and it'll be my first time overseas," she said.
The competition will be held in Texas at the end of September, giving the young Boulia rider the chance to test herself against some of the world's best junior rodeo competitors while representing rural Australia on an international stage.